Opportunity starts here: How one local FE teacher is changing futures in Lincolnshire
National Opportunity Day is a moment to reflect on the power of second chances and new beginnings - and few places offer more of them than Further Education. For thousands across the UK, FE is a launchpad to new careers, rediscovered passions, and brighter futures. Behind every learner’s leap forward is a teacher who saw potential and helped turn it into possibility.
Pippa Elderfield from Boston is one of those teachers. With a background working in nurseries, preschools, and children’s centres, she transitioned into FE seven years ago and hasn’t looked back. Now an Assistant Head of Faculty - Caring Professions at Stamford College, she’s helping shape the next generation of early years professionals, bringing theory to life with real-world experience and championing new qualifications like T Levels.
Pippa shares: “Further Education is all about opportunity for learners and also for those of us who teach them. It’s given me the chance to get my teaching qualifications on the job, pass my industry skills onto my learners, step into a leadership position, and help shape the next generation of Early Years practitioners.
For our learners, FE opens doors to careers they’re passionate about by equipping them with practical experience through real-life working environments and industry placement opportunities. FE is hands-on, practical, and can be life changing. And for teachers, it’s a chance to share your industry experience and make a lasting difference. By teaching in FE, you get to become part of someone’s journey - and that’s incredibly powerful.
About the FE Teacher Recruitment campaign
The Department for Education’s Teach in Further Education (FE) campaign is calling on those with industry experience to teach in FE by sharing their skills and training the next generation of workers in their field.
FE teachers are needed across many subject areas, with particular demand for professionals from the following sectors: Health and Social Care, Construction, Engineering and Manufacturing, Digital and IT.
Practical experience gained from industry is highly sought after and prior teaching qualifications or an academic degree isn’t always needed to start teaching in further education. Teacher training can be completed on the job, meaning FE teachers can begin earning straight away.
There are full-time, part-time and flexible contracts available, allowing FE teachers to balance their hours alongside their current job or personal responsibilities.
To find out more about the opportunities out there teaching in FE, visit: www.teachinfurthereducation.education.gov.uk